Geoffrey Downes

Writer, Producer, Keyboardist, Icon.

Born in Stockport, England, Geoff received his passion for music through a family connection; his father had been organist and choirmaster at a church in Stockport. Even before heading off to Leeds School of Music in 1971, it was obvious to family and friends that he had the making of a future star.

His older brother Gordon was in awe of the young man’s talent and drive. “From the early days he always showed the potential of a showman, like the time at 13 he sprayed his brand new school shoes silver. I also remember in ’67 making him a huge cabinet for his bass speaker in the basement of our big old house. He thought it was magnificent! I wish now, though, I’d had a tape running the time he played an extemporization on Whiter Shade Of Pale and Nights In White Satin at my brother Andy’s engagement party back in October ’69. It was simply spellbinding. I just knew then he had that amazing mystery for creating music.”

Geoff’s exposure to other musicians at college in Leeds led him in 1974 to She’s French, his first real band. “We started off (under the name) Nathaniel Mouse. Melody Maker used to run band contests, and we got to the Northern finals. We used to play at a lot of clubs in the north of England. We were playing very experimental stuff, jazz-fusion mixed with Yes and classical stuff – a real mish-mash of styles.”

Upon graduating in 1975, Geoff left She’s French and moved to London to seek his fortune as a musician. The first months in the big city were difficult, but he managed to squeak by with session work and the odd gig – even performing in a dinner-dance band with renowned British rock writer Chris Welch on drums. An early band situation Downes considered after his move to London was to rehearse with Electric Light Orchestra founding member Roy Wood and his glam-rockers Wizzard. “I was in rehearsals with them for about three or four weeks, (but) it didn’t really work out. It was shortly after I had moved to London, and I had gone to a few auditions – Roy offered me the job of the keyboard player, so I rehearsed with them, but it didn’t really seem as if it was going anywhere.”

Meeting Trevor Horn in 1976 set his career on a new course. The catalyst for Geoff and Trevor meeting was the Tina Charles Band, an English disco outfit. “About nine months after moving to London, I bumped into Trevor. He was living with Tina at the time and looking for people to play in her band. Whenever she did a tour, I’d go on the road with her.”